Comets beat the Britons for first time since Feb. 22, 2003

The Olivet College women's basketball team moved into a tie for first-place in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) standings with a 64-53 victory over Albion College tonight at the Upton Center in Olivet.

The Comets, 6-4 overall, are now tied with Calvin and Hope colleges for first-place in the MIAA with identical 3-0 marks. The Britons, 6-3 overall, slips into a tie for six-place in the MIAA with a 1-2 mark. In addition, the last time Olivet beat Albion was Feb. 22, 2003.

The Comets used big runs at the end of each half to gain the victory. Facing a 17-17 tie with 4:27 left in the first half, Olivet outscored the Britons, 9-0, to take a 26-17 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Comets led by as many as 12 points. Albion fought back and tied the game, 48-48, at the 4:47 mark. After the tie, sophomore Amy Brackenwagen (Grand Ledge) and junior Audrey Graham (Battle Creek/Lakeview) each nailed a three-pointer to start a 16-5 run for the Comets. Olivet made eight-of-eight free throws in the final two minutes, 13 seconds, to seal the win.

Graham led the way for the Comets with a game-high 21 points. Brackenwagen scored 15 points and dished out four assists. Junior Jen O'Neil (Auburn Hills/Avondale) grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Britons were led by Liz Marcuz who tallied 16 points. Lia Conenwett came off the bench to score 11 points in 15 minutes. Jaime Fornetti pulled down a team-high six rebounds.

Olivet will take a break for the holidays and be back in action Friday, Dec. 30, when it travels for a 7 p.m. game at Northwood University.